I back slowly out of the room as she returns to scrubbing my dog. It’s strange how my stomach pulls as I leave her. I don’t know how in such a short time she’s made me only want to stay.
“Let’stry a few here with the poppies,” Ryan says, stopping near the wooden fence. “I think the red and orange will work well with her coloring.”
He guides Ladybird between the two overgrown California poppy bushes in the backyard, and Gigi sniffs. “Now I’m glad I didn’t bug Maverick too much about cutting those back,” she teases.
“Do you need them cut back?” I glance over at her.
I’m still wearing my T-shirt as I help coax Ladybird into the different positions Ryan wants. It seems to help keep the tension in check.
Still, the mountain of awkwardness between us is enough for a comedy sketch. First, you have me in the hall pitching a major tent before being completely disrobed by Spanky. Then we had Ladybird retrieving her vibrator and bringing it straight to me.
“You do not have to help me with yard work,” Gina replies. “I’ll take care of it… sometime.”
“I don’t mind helping. I’m staying here rent-free, afterall.”
“Honestly, I think Mav was going to hire somebody to do it.” She steps back, surveying the overgrown bushes. “Knowing our luck, we’d kill it, and I really like having flowers in the yard.”
“Ready, Owen?” Ryan calls from where he has Ladybird sitting with her nose in the air. “You can just take a knee beside her. Try to keep her from lying down.”
Reaching behind my neck, I pull the shirt over my head. It leaves my hair a mess, but I notice Gigi’s eyes widen before she blinks away.
I do as I’m told, taking a knee beside my dog and palming a treat so she stays alert.
Ryan holds a small device with a white sensor near the two of us before backing away and adjusting the lens. He looks through the camera, then pops up frowning.
“Gina, would you straighten Owen’s hair?” He goes behind the camera again.
She skips over in front of me, and our eyes meet. This time, she blinks quickly, biting her bottom lip as she traces her fingers through the hair over my eyebrows, sliding it to the side.
“Like that?” Her voice is high, a little breathless.
It makes me wonder if she knows how damn tempting she is.
Ryan leans to the side, still frowning. “See that piece over his left eye?”
She turns again, meeting my gaze. She’s still biting her lip as she reaches up, threading her fingers in my hair. The movement is slower than before, a little more deliberate.
“Yes?” She looks over her shoulder at Ryan.
“Perfect. Now get out of the way.”
The two of them exchange a laugh, some teasing words, and the shutter on Ryan’s camera clicks rapidly.
“Nice… Good energy, Owen.” He moves to get a different angle, and the shutter clicks so fast. “Lower your brow like you’re thinking about your next slap shot.”
I’m not good at dissociating, but I do my best to follow his instructions. Thinking about my next slap shot while I’m kneeling beside my dog makes me want to roll my eyes, but I’m sure that’s not the look he’s after.
“Yes…” he calls from behind the camera. “Clench your jaw like that.”
My eyes flicker to Gina, to see what her response is to all of this. She has both hands clasped in front of her nose, and her expression reminds me a lot of the way she looked at me when Spanky snatched my towel. It’s hot, and I have to put that memory out of my head before I get a rise in my shorts.
“Let’s try one more pose.” Ryan turns a knob on the back of his camera. “Come over here by the tree… Do you think she’d stand on her hind legs for you?”
“I think I can get her to…” I’ve just started to answer when a white streak zooms past me.
Ladybird jumps into the air, letting out one of her long, happyRooos. She’s off chasing Spanky around the yard. The two of them jump and play as the three of us humans stand back watching with our hands on our hips.
“Those dogs sure are happy together,” Ryan muses.
